On March 18, Zhejiang men's basketball center Yu Jiahao celebrated his 19th birthday. This is Xiaoyu's first birthday after entering the CBA, and it is also the first time to celebrate his birthday in the professional team.
He has a lot of labels on his body. "Teenager in the United States", "Talented Player", "Ball Second Generation", "Little Yao Ming". This is a reflection of his background, experience or ability, and it also represents the recognition of him by the outside world. But labels have never swayed him, and they have been and are still.
A talented teenager who entered the national team before entering the CBA
No matter how humble Yu Jiahao is, and no matter how low-key his father is, he can't hide his outstanding basketball talent.
As the beloved son of CBA star Yu Leping (two-time rebounding king) and Zhejiang women's basketball star Fuying, Yu Jiahao has grown up in a basketball atmosphere since childhood. His parents taught him all the lessons he had learned in his life, and Yu Jiahao, who began practicing basketball at a very young age, also continued to improve in the process of climbing and playing. Height is his absolute advantage, but it is not his only advantage. The soft feel, the footing under the basket and the solid basic skills he cultivated as a child gradually made him stand out.
A year after graduating from junior high school, Yu Jiahao, who had been studying in the Zhejiang Youth Men's Basketball Team for a year or two, chose to go to the United States to study and embarked on a basketball path chosen by a small number of players in China. From China to the United States, Yu Jiahao, who left the protection of his parents, survived the most difficult times, and his experience of having to rely on himself for everything also made him more mature. In a foreign country, his technical and psychological age are growing rapidly, and a large man with a height of more than 2.20 meters has gradually entered the vision of American fans through outstanding performances. He became a teammate for James' son and Wade's son, and his personal performance began to receive widespread attention.
At that time, he was one of the most prominent players among Chinese teenagers in the United States. As he played more and more confidently, the more wonderful he played, Xiao Yu also knocked on the door of the Chinese national youth team and the Chinese national team. In August 2020, 17-year-old Yu Jiahao was selected for the first time in the training list of the Chinese men's basketball team. In 2021, the Chinese men's basketball team trained twice before, and Yu Jiahao was also selected consecutively. Although he did not stay until the end, as a teenager who has not yet entered the CBA, Yu Jiahao has made too many people envious, after all, the non-professional players who have been selected for the national team training for three consecutive times are rare.
Yu Jiahao is indeed the best among basketball teenagers of the same age. This can be supported by too many races. In the 2019 Second Youth Games, he had 38 points and 22 rebounds in a single game; in the 2020 National U17 Men's Basketball Game, he had 52 points and 18 rebounds in a single game; in the 2021 National Games Youth Games, he averaged 24.4 points, 12.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game(s), shooting 66.7%. After playing the youth group competition for Zhejiang and temporarily switching to the adult group competition, his performance is still remarkable. Facing Hubei, he had 21 points and 18 rebounds. Challenging Liaoning, he had 13 points and 8 rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting, creating a lot of trouble for Liaoning center Han Dejun.
His father said he was "still far behind, and occasionally playing a good game doesn't mean anything", but Yu Jiahao's "good ball" is obviously not just one or two games. After playing well against different opponents again and again, Yu Jiahao's talent can no longer be hidden.
Just entering the CBA has gradually become the pillar of Zhejiang's inner line
Before Yu Jiahao entered the CBA, there were not many voices questioning him, and the speed of movement and the strength of his lower limbs were the places where he was questioned the most. But a season has not yet been played, and Yu Jiahao has obviously made an effective response.
As a center with a height of 2.21 meters, Yu Jiahao's pace is indeed not fast, and the strength of his lower limbs also needs to be improved, but this does not affect his play in the slightest. In his career debut, Yu Jiahao was eye-catching. Facing Fujian, he scored 25 points, 12 rebounds and 3 steals on 11-of-14 shooting, shooting an exaggerated 80%. After watching Yu Jiahao's moves and styles, the famous basketball commentator Yang Yi also sighed: "These actions, including the shape of the entire body, are too similar to Yao Ming at that time, especially the small hook hand is exactly the same." ”
Yu Jiahao, who started at a high starting point, also walked smoothly after that. In the second game against Beijing, he contributed 11 points and 12 rebounds. In the third game, facing the defending champion Guangdong, Yu Jiahao scored 14 points, 14 rebounds and 3 assists. Nine days later, he played Guangdong again, and he scored 26 points and 17 rebounds on 9-of-14 shooting. Against Shanghai, he produced 21 points and 11 rebounds on 8-of-11 shooting. In the first game against Liaoning, he scored 9 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks, cutting off the connection between Liaoning's internal and external lines again and again, and once again creating pressure on Han Dejun... Outstanding performance after game, Yu Jiahao, who really stepped into the adult world for the first time, also won the praise of Du Feng: "Basketball talent is very high."
Because of him, Zhejiang's basket protection, backcourt rebounding, and basket threats have risen sharply, and the biggest shortcomings have also been filled. He was not proud of his past achievements, and he worked hard to implement the requirements of head coach Liu Weiwei. He grabbed the opportunity, fought for rebounds, and for a floorball, the giant would even fall to the ground, and he has gradually become an indispensable part of Zhejiang.
So far this season, Yu Jiahao has averaged 12.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 26.8 minutes per game , shooting 60% from the field. He ranked second on the team in rebounding, behind big foreign player Rakosevic, and tied for the first place in the team with Lacco in 11 double-doubles. As a rookie, Yu Jiahao did not have much greenness. Excellent basketball finishing ability, excellent rebounding card position awareness, let him bring visible help to Zhejiang. He occasionally gets into foul trouble, but more often than not, Yu Jiahao is an internal pillar that Zhejiang can trust.
epilogue
The performance is getting better and better, and Yu Jiahao is inevitably frequently compared with Yao Ming. He knows it's recognition of him, but he obviously prefers to be himself, "I don't like living in the shadow of others, I want to be myself." 」 If I can reach Yao Ming's height in the future, I will be very happy. ”
To this end, he has always remembered Yao Ming's encouragement to "get better every day". After entering the CBA, he rarely touched social media, and he was willing to spend more time training to improve himself. And now Yu Jiahao, just wrote his career, the future basketball life, he still has too many possibilities.